Chapter 2 Shadows Between Us

Aria's POV

My legs moved by themselves. Adrenaline made everything blurry-the sound of tires screeching, the smell of explosives, and the smoke from the fireworks that burned my eyes.

He pulled me into a tight entryway, forcing me against the wall. My back hit cold brick, and I realized my fingers were touching his coat-rough, warm, stained with blood. I could feel his heartbeat on my chest, frantic and uneven, echoing mine.

"Stay quiet," he whispered, lips almost brushing my ear. His breath was warm, dangerous, intoxicating.

I swallowed, too aware of him, too aware of the tension growing around us. "Who... who are you?"

He didn't answer, simply searched the street, muscles coiled like a cat ready to strike. His fingertips stroked my jaw as he turned my face away from the alley's edge. A slight touch, but it left me shaking.

Footsteps echoed closer. Fast, deliberate. Someone was hunting us.

"Listen to me," he whispered, voice low, like a snarl. "If they discover us... they'll kill you. And me."

I swallowed hard. My heart thudded violently in my chest. "Why are you here? Why are they after you?"

His dark gaze latched onto me. Pain, fury, something older-something broken-glimmered there. "It's complicated. Too risky for you to know. Just... believe me."

Trust him. The words sounded silly in my thinking, but when I looked at him-bloodied, tense, totally alive-I felt it regardless. That pull. That inexplicable, magnetic pull that made me overlook everything sensible.

A noise behind us made him tense. He seized my hand and dragged me along a concealed side corridor, gloomy and damp. My fingers curled around his, warmth soaking through, a lifeline I didn't want to let go.

We stumbled inside a small, abandoned storage area. Dust blanketed the air, and the weak light from a broken window revealed streaks of blood on his clothes.

He turned to me, face inches from mine, eyes dark, uncompromising. "You shouldn't be here," he continued, voice gruff, angry.

"I-" My words failed. My chest tightened. He was so close, bleeding, dangerous... and yet I couldn't move away.

His hand went to my cheek, thumb touching my lips. "And yet... here you are."

A crash from outside made us both jump. His fingers curled around mine like he'd never let go.

"Aria..." he whispered, nearly a growl. "They know where we are. And this... this isn't over."

The door rattled. My heart froze.

I understood, in that instant, I hadn't simply stepped into his world-I had fallen into it.

And now, there was no turning back.